dollar phenomenon. basketball without borders. these nba superstars are on a mission. >> excellent work. >> pull these kids out of poverty, one shot at a time. we'll take you on their unlikely journey to africa and back. and, animal alliance. black cats and owls? dogs and dolphins? why some cree churps from across the animal kingdom are willing to share a little cross species affection. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," november 23rd, 2012. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. hope you had a thankful thanksgiving. if you braved the mall today, i hope it was worth it. tens of millions stormed the stores for black friday, named in part for the kind of robust business that pushes retailers well into the black and one of the biggest sellers today, the

latest version of the video game halo. which sold almost 4 million units in just the first week on shelves. halo just one reason why video games are quickly eclipsing hollywood block busters for pure profit. and abc's neal karlinsky explains why. >> action! >> big cameras, big special effects. and a music score by a full orchestra in england. world class artists and a crew of hundreds, and what you get is the lead contender for this year's biggest entertainment block buster. not a movie, a video game. halo 4, the latest in what's become a $3 billion franchise, all based around a game played on microsoft's xbox. even more surprising, this male dominated hit game is run by a hip, working mom from seattle. >> i think it's a cultural

phenomenon. i think that it's beyond the game. i think it's a beloved universe that fans love. >> reporter: take it from this father of an elementary school age boy. halo is like star wars for a whole new generation. the shoot 'em up series of games which includes eight new york sometimes best sellers, toys and clothing, is based around a futuristic war between humans and an alien force called the covenant. i am getting -- i just died. man, i just died a horrible death. studio chief bonnie ross gave me a taste of the action, along with the game's number two in charge, kiki wolfkill. two women at the top of this male-dominated game, both, you know, the players and the people working on it. >> the game world is changing. we are seeing far more women come in, at a younger age, right? there are far more game programs in school and i think it's seen as a less intimidating world.

>> reporter: the game's brought in $22 million in its first 24 hours, eclipsing many hit movies. ross says part of the reason is because games like halo are not just games. there is a detailed story and characters, too, which is staff obsesses over down to the smallest detail. the visuals are stunning, at times more like a movie than a game. artists slave over every frame. there's even a lighting department, who art financially adds light and shadow. so, are you guys crazy perfectionists here or what? >> we are crazy perfection. some of the lighting, not unlike a movie is about focusing the eye on where you want the player to go. some of it is purely for sort of dramatic reasons. and some of it is to make it look real. >> reporter: sounds are all invented in-house. ice cubes reacting to hot water

and amplified. even the sound of a game console's fan. >> unknown. >> reporter: stage actress jen taylor prays the voice of cortana. >> wake up, chief. >> reporter: a main character. >> i need you. >> reporter: she dons a suit, loaded with sensors and captured by a series of cameras to have her body digitally inserted into the game. is it weird playing a video game character? >> no, it's awesome. super fun. it's -- lovely to go and see all of your work and how it's been manifested by 50 people that take it and create this beautiful character. it's really fun. >> reporter: are you a gamer? >> yeah, i'm a gamer. >> reporter: it's a lot to manage and the process, just like a movie, takes years. and a massive, though undisclosed budget. >> how people spend their time is changing, you know? and i think the thing that's interesting about a game, i think, that's disht than a movie, you see a movie once at the theater, make a second time

on dvd, or on demand. with a game, it's your story. and, you know, you keep going back and it's your story with friends. it is always new and fresh. >> know where he's heading. >> same place we are. >> reporter: fresh enough, she hopes, to take this multibillion dollar franchise far beyond halo 4. between the games, stories and a series of web tv shows they've now launched, it plans for a movie some day. bonnie ross believes halo could be a franchise for decades. >> stay close to me. i'm your best chance for survival. >> reporter: i feel like our universe and our ability to tell hundreds of stories in our universe, if we do it right, we should be able to tell stories for the next 20 years. >> reporter: look out, hollywood. i'm neal karlinsky for "nightline" in kirkland, washington. >> thanks, neal. coming up next, what do these nba stars come all the way

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>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with bill weir. >> years ago in a remote corner of zambia, i met an 8-year-old boy who grew up on a dirt floor under a thatched roof and whose best item of clothing happened to be a boston celtics t-shirt. he didn't know the means of the words on his chest, the shirt

probably came from some pile of donation, but it showed the reach of the nba brand. you see this a lot. and tonight, there's some good-hearted men within the nba, trying to help similar children in ways that go far beyond second-hand t-shirts. here's jeffrey kofman. >> here we go. one last time. one last time. ready? recover. get them. >> reporter: they just might be the luckiest boys in africa. and maybe the world. >> excellent work, guys, excellent work. >> reporter: selected from 20 countries, flown here to johannesburg for four days of intensive basketball coaching -- >> basket one, far side, go. >> reporter: from some of the biggest names in the world of sports. >> nba, we are coming. >> nba, we are coming. >> reporter: that's nba, as in national basketball association. and that is nba all-star dikembe mutombo, all 72" of him.

you put a lot of energy into this. why? >> because somebody did care for me for me to be where i am today. i feel like it's an obligation, to me and my duty and my power, to make sure that the next generation is successful. >> drive it, drive it. >> reporter: organized and paid for by the nba, they call this basketball without borders. >> attack. see the help. where's my help? get over here. >> reporter: these kids have all played basketball before and shown some promise. but they come from countries most of us couldn't locate on a map. >> cameroon. >> egypt. >> get your spot. good, swing it. >> reporter: that is mark hughes, director of scouting for the new york knicks. this is his fourth year volunteering as a coach here. what do you think the kids get out of it? >> they have heart, passion, they play hard. what they don't have is a spot of great construction. guys, when we say attack, we want you to drive the ball to the basket.

>> reporter: are you here as a coach or a scout? >> both. >> reporter: so, will you go back and say, hey, there are a couple of guys here we have to -- >> absolutely. >> good shot, boy. >> reporter: just ask luc mbah a moute. he was at the first of these nba camps in africa. >> good shot, good shot. >> nice cut and a deep catch by mbah a moute. >> reporter: today, he makes almost $5 million as a player with the milwaukee bucks. he's one of six basketball without borders graduates now playing with the nba. >> for kids, they have the right to stay kids, you know? and basketball brings them back to that stage, you know, going through all the stuff they going through, wars, different, some of them losing their parents, when they get the ball, they become kids again. >> reporter: unicef has a hand in this, too. they use these guys to help get a message to americans who often tune out when they hear the words africa and poverty.

i get that unicef worries about food, about water, about shelter. but basketball? >> when the big players stand at the podium and talk about their game, but also talk about the children of africa, america hears it. >> block and block. >> reporter: when you look at the faces of the boys in this clinic, do you see something different from a clinic of american kids? >> i see a certain gratitude level that's different. and i see them looking for a road out. not a road to glory, a road out of poverty. >> reporter: many of these boys have never been outside their countries before. never been on an airplane. okay, so, show me what you can do. at 6'8", he's from africa's south sudan. for the moment, though, he is thrilled to finally have shoes that fit his size 17 feet. >> this is amazing. i'm really great i got the shoes without paying, so, this is

very -- it's very good, really. >> reporter: by the fourth and final day of nba camp, you start to see a difference. >> go, go, go. >> reporter: the boys have been divided into teams and they are playing better. playing as a team. hamza is from nigeria. what have you learned here that you didn't know before about basketball? >> i have learned that the more i share the ball, the more my teammates want to play. the more they want to participate in the game. and the better chance we have to win. >> reporter: mark hughes, the scout from the new york knicks, has seen some promising prospects. any of them impress you? >> yeah, i think a lot of the kids were imblepressive. they are so energetic. for us, there are a few guys that i think may have a chance. >> good job. good job, guys, good job. >> reporter: most, of course, won't make it to the nba. but they will go home with skills that they can pass to

others. on a continent filled with despair, this is about using hoops to explore hope. i'm jeffrey kofman for "nightline" in johannesburg. >> thanks to jeffrey for that report. coming up next, cats and dogs living together. if that was a sign of the apocalypse for bill murray, what would he think of big cats and bunnies, or dogs and dolphins? what is the science behind these odd animal couples? uh, i'm in a timeout because apparently

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there are few click magnets like online videos of dogs and kittens, in a molten cuddle pile. but that's just one example of the cross species team work and affection that exists out there. in fact, there are enough bizarre examples to fill an entire show by our friends at nat geo wild. tonight, abc's tanya rivero takes a sneak peek.

>> reporter: this cat adores an owl. this dog dotes on a dolphin. it seems we all need a buddy and animals are no different. but these fascinating creatures go outside their species for companionship. and they're the focus of a new series on nat geo wild. this black leopard is extremely rare, but even more unique is his friendship with a bunny. it's a modern twist on the biblical lion lying with the lamb. zoo keepers introduced them when the runt cub was forced out by his siblings. they said they could see in the cat's eyes he didn't want to hurt her. if he had, he only needed to raise his paw or take one bite and the bunny would have been gone. the series explores the deep emotional life of animals. something scientists have been weighing in on more and more. >> it does show intelligence. it does show emotion. it shows these characteristics

that i think we just don't give animals enough credit for. >> reporter: casey anderson says this behavior usually happens when animals are rejected by their own kind, then reach out to others for something as essential to them as food and water. >> you'll see two animals that, you know, come from unfortunate circumstances, but find each other. they step on each other's toes a little bit. but they get the rhythm, figure each other out and learning that dance is so worth it to these individuals. >> reporter: it's so fascinating, especially when you have these predator/prey friendships. because you realize both of them are going against instinct to come together. >> i think what it proves is maybe that need, that companionship, actually trumps all those other instinct wall needs. and it's just kind of wonderful. >> reporter: it's a kind of wonderful anderson has personally experienced in what may be the unlikeliest friendship of all. >> so this is brutus and he's been with me since he was that

big. >> reporter: meet anderson's bff brutus, a 900-pound grisly bear. >> the only reason i can with this close is because brutus thinks i'm his dad. >> reporter: anderson rescued brute advertise from a wildlife park ten years ago. >> very emotional animal that formed this very strong bond to me. he needed me. as the relationship developed, i realized i needed him as much. get it, buddy, get it. >> reporter: he says he stays safe by paying close attention. >> i know grizzly bear behavior and i don't push it with him. >> reporter: and because of deep, mutual respect. >> part of the way he shows me he likes me is he doesn't hurt me. i respect him. 900-pound grizzly bear, to stand next to a man, the most unlikely thing and that to work is his biggest appreciation he could give me, really. >> reporter: it seems survival in the animal kingdom hinges not only on being the fittest, but also on being a friend. i'm tanya rivero for "nightline" in new york.

>> "unlikely animal friends" airs tomorrow, saturday november 24th on nat geo wild. and we do hope you'll check out a rather explosive version of "nightline" coming up on monday. >> three, two, one -- >> abc's martha raddatz gets to know the oscar-winning director of "zero dark thirty," the new film about the hunt for osama bin laden made by the team that gave us "the hurt locker" among others. that is monday night on "nightline." until then, thank you for watching abc news. hope you check in on "gma" in the morning and have a great night. tonight on "jimmy kimmel live" -- >> every march and november, i stand in front of my microwave for no less than 20 minutes trying to figure out how to reset the clock. >> robert pattinson. >> just take a moment to take him in, i mean, look at him.